Cooling tower



May 20, 1930. .1. M. SEYMOUR COOLING TOWER E Sheets-ShevaY Filed May 14 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

May 20, 1930. J. M. sEYMoR A l 1,758,983

` COOLING TOWER Filed May 14 1926 2 sheets-sheet 2 I N V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 20, 1930 UNITED STA JAMES M. SEYMOUR, F N'EWAIRK, NEW' JERSEY COOLING TOWER Application filed May 14, 1926. Serial No. 109,004.

This invention relates' to improvementsin cooling towersy for cooling condenser water, and for similar uses, of the general kind and character shown and described in my United States Letters Patent #1,582,550 dated April 27th, 1926; andy the invention relates, more particularly to a novel construction of cooling tower provided with a novel arrangement and construction of means for bringing together air and the water to be cooled while the air is centrifugally gyrated, whereby the lighter air which is nearest the saturation point, is first vented or exhausted through the central stack or flue of the tower, while 16 the heavier or drier air is retained by centrifugal action in contact with the water to be cooled, and its escapethrough the stack or flue of the tower is retarded until it has Y efficiently exercised its cooling function and 20 has in turn become saturated.v A

This invention has for its principal object to provide, in a cooling tower of the character above set forth, a. novel means for introducing and showering the water to be cooled within the interior of the tower subject to the action of thecentrifugally moved or gyrated incoming air, to the end that an efficient but simplified and relatively cheap construction ofl apparatus for the purposes in view is provided. Other objectsof this invention, not atthis time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood Vfrom the following detailed description of the same. l

With the various objects of this invention in view the same consists, primarly, in the novel construction and arrangementofcoolmxvention consists, furthermore, in the novel ons devices and parts, as well as inthe details of the construction of the same, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and then finally embodied in the claim appended thereto. 4 p

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isv a longtudinal central vertical section of a cooling tower showing one embodiment of the present invention; and Figa arrangements and combinations of the vari ure 2 is a transverse horizontalsection through the same, taken on line 2--2 insaid Figure 1. l Figure 3 is a longitudinal central vertical section of a modied arrangement and construction of the elements making up the novel cooling tower according to the principles of the present invention; andV Figure 4 is a Y transverse horizontal` section through the same, taken on line 4 4 in said Figure.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicatecorresponding parts.

Referring now to said drawings, the reference character 1 indicates a substantially cylindrical tower housing, having a bottom wall 2 and a top wall 3. This tower housing may be built of any material found suitable or convenient, e. g., as wood, sheet metal, masonry, etc.

Axially alined with and communicating with the upper end portion of the interior lof said tower housing is a vertically and upwardly extending chimney `or stack 4 which provides a discharge opening 5. Preferably said chimney or stack 4 is of considerably reduced diameter relative to the diameter of the tower housing. Said chimney or stack may be made of any suitable material, and the same may be suitably' connected with the v top wall of the tower, and supported in any .manner or by any particular means found practicah `Since the chimney or stack is axially alined with the tower housing, the central interior portion ofthe latter provides an open space which is alined with and which Vcommunicates with the discharge opening 5. ing tower hereinafter set forthg'and, the in- Said tower housing is provided-*with one or more air delivery devices adapted to deliver air Vtangentially into the annular interior g space thereof which surrounds the central spacebeneath the discharge opening 5. In

vFigures l and 2 a plurality of such air delivery devices are shown, while in Figures 3 Aand 4 but a single such air delivery device `is j shown. Each air delivery device comprises a tubular intake arm or pipe 6 tangentially projecting from the outer circumference of said tow-er housing l. The outer end of each air delivery or intake arm or pipe 6-is open to the atmosphere, while the inner end thereof communicates with the interior of the tower housing. Mounted within each tangential intake arm or pipe 6 is a transversely dis posed air propulsion fan 7. The fans 7 may be driven from any source of power, but it is probably most convenient to drive the same by means of a direct connected electric-motor 8 as shown in the drawings.

One means for introducing the water to be cooled into the interior of the tower housing, comprises, as shown in Figures l and 2 of the drawings, an annular delivery pipe 9, suitably arranged adjacent tothe bottom of the tower interior. Connected with said annular delivery pipe 9 is a feed pipe l0, which leads from water condensers (not shown) through the side of the tower into coupled connection with said annular delivery pipe 9. The upper side of said annu lar delivery pipe 9 is provided with an annular row of upwardly projecting discharge jets l1, through which the hot water is ejected in upwardly ascending vertical streams, which, when striking the under side of the top wall 2 of the tower, are shattered and are caused to rebound downwardly through the annular portion of the tower interior in the form of a descendingl shower.

Another modified arrangement and construction of water delivery means for introducing the water to be cooled into the interior of the tower housing is shown in Figures 3 and 4. This modified arrangement and construction comprises an annular delivery pipe 9 which is located in the upper interior por tion of the tower housing, preferably in a position concentric to the discharge opening 5, the same being suitably supported, as by hangers 9. Connected with said annular delivery pipe 9 is a feed pipe l0', which leads from water condensers (not shown) through the side of the tower into suitably coupled connection with said delivery pipe 9. Said delivery pipe 9 is provided in the outer side thereof, which is directed toward the annular portion of the tower housing interior, with a plurality of outlet perforations 1l. The water delivered into said pipe 9 escapes through said outlet perforations 11 in the form of relatively fine streams which are projected into all portions of the upper interior annularl portion of the tower housing, so as to shower downwardly therethrough to the bottom of the housing.

The air delivery arms or pipes 6 direct streams of air by means of the fans 7 tangentially into the annular portion of the tower interior, so that the air delivered into the latter is caused to whirl or gyrate around said annular portion of the tower interior. The hot water rains or showers downwardly into and though the rotating body of air, and in this manner the cooling effect of the air upon the water is produced both by direct transfer of heat from the water to the air and by evaporation of a percentage of the water and its absorption by the moving body of air. The whirling or gyrating movement of the air in Contact with the water produces a centrifugal action which will cause the heavier and drier air to be thrown outwardly toward the walls of the tower-housing, so that the same is retained -in contact with the descending streams of water, while the lighter air which is nearest the saturation point will be displaced by the heavier and drier air and thus forced inwardly to the central space of the tower housing interior beneath the discharge opening 5 for free escape therethrough. In this manner, the air which has most completely exercised its cooling effect upon the water descending through the interior of the tower housing, will be first discharged through the chimney or stack il, while the air,

which is still capable of cooling effect, is retained in contact with the water until it too has substantially completed its cooling effect, and is displaced by the relatively dry incoming air so as to be in turn discharged through said chimney or stack el..

By the time the water, descending through the tower housing in contact with the rotating cooling air reaches the bottom of the housing, the same has been substantially relieved of its heat, and is sufficiently cool to be withdrawn through the discharge pipe or drain l2 in the tower housing bottom to be thence delivered to the place of useagain.

It may be pointed out, that the movement of the air within the tower housing will also effect a. whirling around of the water collecting in the bottom of the tower, as the same flows to the discharge pipe or drain l2, thus further contributing to the cooling of the water by the impingement of the air on the surface thereof.

The rotation of the air within the tower housing, with thev consequent centrifugal action produced, tendsto constantly throw a certain amount of water against the vertical walls of the tower housing, thereby producing a film of water on said walls against which the moving body of air constantly impinges in frictional contact therewith, so that evaporation is accelerated and a consequent increase of cooling effect is attained by reason of such evaporation.

I desire also to call attention to the fact that I the basic principles involved in the construction and operation of my novel cooling tower relating to the delivery of the air tangentially into the interior of the latter, to induce the gyration thereof about said interior, may still be accomplished even though the fans 7 'are omitted from the air intake pipes 6, since the natural draft of the stack or chimney 4 will cause the induction of air through said intake pipes 6 and tangentially into the tower in terior to produce more or less gyration or tas ITA

rotative movement of the air with the effects already above described.

I am aware that some changes, other than those already above indicated, may lbemade in the general arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts comprising this invention, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope thereof as described in the foregoing specication, and as defined in the appended claim. Hence, I do not limit this invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the devices and parts as set 'forth in the foregoing specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

I claim A substantially cylindrical cooling tower housing, the top of said housing having a central discharge opening to the atmosphere of substantially smaller diameter than the diameter of the housing7 means for introducing air tangentially into said housing for unimpeded gyratory movement therein prior to discharge through said discharge opening, air propulsion means within said air introducing means, an annular conduit having a plurality of emission orifices, said conduit being concentric to said discharge opening and dispose-d at the top of said housing intermediate said discharge opening and the side Walls of said housing, whereby said conduit serves to deliver a plurality of finely divided streams of medium to be cooled into contact with the gyrating air prior to axial escape of the latter upwardly through said housing and said discharge opening, and means to discharge the cooled medium from the lower end of said housing.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of May, 1926.

JAMES M. SEYMOUR. 

